The Namibian Navy has acquired a state-of-the-art naval ship, christened 'Elephant' to strengthen its fleet of three ships and two harbour patrol vessels.
The new acquisition which was build in China, will allow hundreds of naval officers to train aboard and acquire the necessary navigation skills. The vessel arrived at the Port of Walvis Bay yesterday after a long journey from China with 65 crew members on board.
The Namibian Navy has acquired a state-of-the-art naval ship, christened 'Elephant' to strengthen its fleet of three ships and two harbour patrol vessels.
The new acquisition which was build in China, will allow hundreds of naval officers to train aboard and acquire the necessary navigation skills. The vessel arrived at the Port of Walvis Bay yesterday after a long journey from China with 65 crew members on board.
The "Elephant" whose cost cannot be revealed at this stage is equipped with a 37 millimetres naval gun and two 14,5milimetre twin barrel machine guns. It has deadweight of 2500 tonnes and can carry 6 by 12 foot containers of 24 tonnes, 6 armed personnel carriers of 12 tonnes each, and at least 150 crewmembers. The vessel also has a landing pad for a helicopter. It will replace the naval ship, the 'Lt General Dimo Hamaambo', which was decommissioned yesterday.
The Deputy Minister of Defence Lempy Lucas, who was present to welcome the 'Elephant', said the vessel was acquired through the defence ministry's budget. She added that the ship was built by the Wuhan Shipyard in China and was officially handed over to Namibia on July 03.
Construction of the vessel commenced on January 27, 2011 with a keel laying ceremony after which she was eventually launched to water in October 2012. According to Lucas the name elephant symbolizes the ability of the vessel to carry heavy loads and traverse immense distances, a task which the vessel will very often perform.
"Namibia will continuously upgrade its security measures through the Namibian Navy. The Ministry of Defence set itself three objectives, which is to recruit and continuously train officers, construct naval facilities all over the country and the acquisitioning of vessels.
Training of officers is already progressing. Over 430 officers have so far been trained at the Brazilian Naval College and [many Naval Officers] have graduated from various naval institutions in Brazil, as well as other countries," said the deputy defence minister.
She thanked the Chinese government for a mission well accomplished, adding that the two countries will continue to strengthen existing bilateral relations.
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